JIM on Santa Catalina Island...


Jim left Metford, Oregon from the airport on a flight that took him from me on Tuesday, November 30, at 04:30 am. His flight was for 05:30 am. He had to switch planes. Then he took a ferry which was about an hour long to Catalina Island. He and two others, Terry (a female) and her husband Mike, were to arrive Friday am.

Jim met with Tracy and John, who were in charge, on Wednesday and Thursday then picked up Terry and Mike on Friday. The three of them were to do a propane survey, which meant they were to locate plugs in the ground or streets, take them out, and then use a probe to determine if there was a leak. There were a lot of these plugs.

The reason I didn't go was because we would have to board Tabitha (the cat) and because it would leave the camper unattended for at least three weeks.

They got an airbnb, two bedrooms, two baths, a living room, dining room and a kitchen, that came with a golf cart. Jim was the official driver, lol. It seems that golf carts were a big thing on the island or Smart cars. Which are tiny little cars that we have. When we had Sallie, the dog, she would fit in the back which was a hatchback. Jim and I would sit in the front. Jim saw both golf carts and Smart cars with Christmas trees tied to the tops.

Oh, the golf carts and the Smart cars are approximately the same width. If you were lucky, two of them would fit side by side on the street. The regular garbage truck filled up the whole street. The guy driving the truck would wait for them to pull up on the sidewalk, so he could get by them. Thankfully it was only once a week.

The houses were tiered, basically anywhere they could build a house on the side of a cliff, they did. Definitely, a lot of houses.

He sent me pictures of the lights on the island, it was very decorative. The water was beautiful, calm and clear. There were thousand of boats of all sizes.

The deer were plentiful and came up the hillside to graze. There was nothing they feared. They were everywhere-. On the hillside, on the streets, wherever there was grass or weeds to munch. Jim had a couple of them come up to the golf cart hoping for a treat. He carried treats with him after his first day.

There were also foxes which were a little larger than what we have seen on the mainland. These little guys were a little skittish but were tame, and they too loved treats.

There were herds of bison, which were rather tame. The problem was that being on an island where the temperature dipped at night caused them to lose their second coat which kept them warm. This was not to say that they became cold, but with that many, some were rounded up and sent to North Dakota. Yes, you guessed it. The first frost and the cold winters up there caused the bison to freeze and die. It was a sad thing that they discovered. Now, they keep the herd limited, by the use of bison lotteries. This way they can kill off the old and the lame.

The shopping area was something else. The grocery store was open daily from about 8:00 am to 8:00 or 9:00 pm and even had gluten free items. It was all pricey, almost triple the price of when I do the shopping.

The restaurants were different as were the shops. They were only open when a cruise ship appeared, depending on when the ship got there. Jim said that the restaurants and shops were closed more than they were open during the time of their stay.

I did provide him with a list of everything available.

The ferry boat was interesting. Apparently, you could not just put something on the ferry. It had to go through Avalon Shipping Service. So, any equipment from Atlanta, Georgia had to go through them, then onto the ferry for Jim to pick up.

He did manage to come home early, rather than Thursday - he was able to be picked up Sunday evening, December 19/21. He was definitely home in time for Christmas.